Basil

One of the best things about summer is making a batch of pesto with fresh basil. Because of the wet cold spring (and summer) everything has been slow to mature at here in Rhode Island. But, eventually, everything comes around at its own pace. This week, basil is ready to start being harvested. I put fresh basil in salads and serve it with cheese and tomato or chop some in eggs. But, my favorite way to prepare basil is in pesto. Most folks have a pesto recipe that uses basil and olive oil, salt and garlic. Some recipes call for red pepper flakes (we use our own chili powder). You can also add roasted nuts. Pignoli (pine) nuts are traditional, but I also know people who roast walnuts for their pesto.

I like to add other stuff to my pesto as well. Arugula is a hearty leaf that will stand up to the food processor. I have tried to make straigh arugula pesto, but found the flavor too one dimensional. Now I often add a handful of arugula to the food processor with the basil for a basil/arugula pesto.

Another of my favorite pestos is garlic scape pesto. Garlic scapes are the flower stalk the garlic plant sends up in early summer to try and reseed itself. I have made pesto with just garlic scapes, salt and olive oil with chili powder. This is a very strong pesto and I don't recommend eating it with pasta alone. It is best when a spoonful is tossed in a pot of sauce or soup. You can dilute the potency of garlic scape pesto by adding basil to the garlic scapes. This makes for a very fresh and green tasting pesto. In fact, this is my favorite way to add garlic to pesto. Try it!